Slipped Up
by kxkaos
Summary: The first slipper to slip since DG slipped back to the O.Z.. lol I suck at summaries. you know what to do.
1. Chapter 1

Storm clouds loomed over head as Lainy Greene finished her lesson for the day.

"Rains might start on your way home, Miss. Ross," Lainy said closing the trailer for her paying rider, "drive slow and keep that horse safe."

"Thank you, Lainy. I'll keep that trailer straight. I'll see you next week."

"Next week, then."

The girl sighed as her only rider drove away. Without Miss. Ross the farm was quiet and ring unused. Once upon a time the barn was full of horses and happiness but that's all it was. Once upon a time. She still lived with her parents, even at twenty-two. There was no way out of that little Kansas town called Galesburg. She walked into the house through the back door as quietly as she could manage, her mom wasn't home but her dad sure was. She almost made it up the stairs.

"Lainy," her dad yelled from the living room.

"Yes, Dad." she didn't hide the annoyance in her voice, she hadn't since she was eighteen.

"Where's my Jack?"

"Mom dumped it this morning," she replied listlessly, "And honestly, it's not even three o'clock, you don't need it."

"Yes," he stumbled towards her, "it hurts. I need it. I NEED IT!"

"Mom will be home in an hour, you can take it up with her."

She had gotten as far as her bedroom door when she heard her dad's old Chevy start up and lumber down the long driveway. He was going to get more Jack, that fact was a no brainer. Lainy sighed as she grabbed a towel. She always had to shower after a lesson with Miss. Ross to get the horse grime off her skin. By the time she was finished and pretty much dressed, the front door was slamming open.

"And here is daddy dearest," she mumbled pulling on her shirt.

When she finally emerged downstairs she found the front door still open and her father in the living room halfway drunk and halfway through a bottle of Jack. She paused while closing the door to watch the rain sprinkle down and the branches strain from the winds of the starting storm. She didn't have the time to daydream. Eleanor, her mother, was on her way home and there was a dinner that needed to be started. The storm made her burger plan fly out the window. The only other thing was mac-n-cheese. She was almost done with the noodles when her mother walked through the front door.

"Thank God he's asleep," Eleanor breathed putting down her purse with a glance at her sleeping husband in his beat up recliner. There was an empty bottle on the floor and half a bottle in his hand.

"Hey, Mom," Lainy said, "noodles are done, get changed and we'll eat."

Eleanor worked as a waitress at the local diner and Lainy always made sure her mother always got out of that hideous pink frock they liked to call a uniform. Dinner was never anything special. Eleanor told her daughter about her day at the diner. Lainy told her mother about the antics her father would pull and her lessons or the attempted upkeep of the farm. That was it. That's all there needed to be. Dinner clean-up was always a quiet affair, but not that night. Dad woke up from his alcohol induced slumber.

"WOMAN!" He didn't just yell, he bellowed, "How dare you throw out my Jack."

His words were slurred and the Jack still left in the bottle sloshed as hr brandished it as his wife. Eleanor waved her daughter toward the back door. Lainy ran out the door and down the path to the rear of the property. Her bare feet sunk into the mud that was left over form the rains that had thankfully stopped. The winds still howled and whipped her hair about her face. When her dad went into a rage against the fairer of her parentage. Eleanor preferred Lainy to get out of the house and Lainy preferred to run to the back of the property because she let the field grow long there. Tonight, though, was not a great night to run the path leading to her favorite spot. The ground was wet, mud streamed in the rain runoff going downhill and the wind whipped the grasses around her lower half as she ran by. The night was black, save for a few stars shining through the terrible clouds. Flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance on either side, but not where it mattered. When lightning finally struck ground in front of her she saw the funnel that formed and she was heading straight for it and it for her. Cursing under her breath she bolted the direction she came from. But it was no use.

The twister was faster.

* * *

Simply put, Lainy was a mess and she knew it. Her arms and ankles were laden with little cuts from where the grass whipped at her skin ans she ached all over. The suns did nothing to help her throbbing head. She lingered on that thought alone.

"Two suns?" she questioned to no one as she stared at the two sunned sky above her, "Where the hell am I?"

Looking around she noticed the forest and, through it, a lake. Birds chirped here and there and the wind was only a gentle breeze. She stood and made her way through to the outer edge of the trees and gazed out at the vast body of water. The suns were above and behind her making the direction she faced north. There was a large building across the lake from where she stood.

She sighed, "Well, c'mon feet."

—

The going was extremely slow, more than once she stepped on something that did not agree with her are feet. She caught glimpses of creatures in the brush but nothing long enough to determine what it could be. She had the uncanny feeling of being watched. The suns were setting by the time she was three-fourths of the way there. Even this far away from the building she was heading to things were more manicured, there started to be less tree and more grass. It wasn't long before a path began to form. People travelled here, not often but often enought to leave an impression. With this she'd easily find her way, even in the dark, so she decided she'd rest a while before pressing her throbbing feet the remainder of her journey. She closed her eyes and listened to the nature around her. Crickets were beginning to chirp their song, nocturnal birds were taking flight into the twilight air, and the horses were galloping on the path.

"Wait a second," Her eyes shot open and looked down the way she was headed.

Galloping down the path were three uniformed men on horseback. Guns were drawn and they were only a few seconds away from where she sat. Lainy stood and put up her hands, better to surrender than to run.

"Who are you?" asked one as they approached and formed ranks around her.

"Elaina Greene."

"What are you doing here?"

"Where is here?" Lainy retorted becoming defensice. She ached to much to care about their pointless questions.

"Here is Finaqua," he said.

"Fin-what?"

The soldier who had been questioning her glaces at his compatriots, "We'll bring her."

They put away their weapons as the leader offered Lainy his hand.

"Hop on."

Lainy jumped on the horse behind the soldier and they were off, galloping in the same direction the three horsemen had come. Their speed got them to the building in fifteen minutes.

"What is this?" Lainy whispered to herself as they slowed in a courtyard.

Lainy refused assistance dismounting and the one who she assumed was the superior officer approached a guard by the door and whispered somethng to him the girl could not hear. The guard promptly ran inside. The solider walked over to Liany, who held the horse and snapped his fingers toward his inferior.

"You and David take the horses, I'll wait with her for the queen."

The soldier saluted and snatched the reins from Lainy, who floundered at the word 'queen'.

"Wait, what?" She blurted.

He didn't get to answer. A woman walked out the doors and her presence demanded the attention of everyone there. The man who walked beside her commanded just as much.

"Your highness, Ahamo," the soldier bowed respectively.

"Captain Ares," the queen bobbed her head in response, "This is her?"

The captain nodded.

"Thank you, Ares," the queen said in dismissal of her captain, who headed in the direction the others had gone, "Miss. Greene?"

Lainy floundered again, wondering what to do or what to say. She settled on 'Your Highness' and a very clumsy curtsy.

"Follow me," Her Highness smiled.

The girl hurried after the queen and Ahamo as quickly as her sore feet could carry her. The room they came to was grand and open to the world. Across from the door were a series of unoccupied chairs set upon a two stepped rise. All around were windows. The ceiling was a clear skylight and the walls were large glass panes that let in so much of the waning sun-light it was hard to believe it was almost night. Lainy was in awe, she'd never seen something so amazing.

"Miss. Greene," The Queen said positioning herself in her throne, "I am Lavender, Queen of the O.Z. and this is my husband, Ahamo. Do you know where you are?"

"No, Highness," she said curtly, "But I'm sure you already knew this, I don't think you would have seen me otherwise.

Ahamo chuckled, "Where are you from?"

"Kansas, Galesburg, actually," Lainy confessed, "Where am I? What happened?"

"I take it a storm picked you up?" Lavender asked, Lainy nodded, "We call them travelling storms. They bring people where you are from, to us the Other Side, to where we are now, the Outer Zone. It's not always like that, sometimes they are just storms but every once in a while someone comes through on accident. You are the first Slipper in a while and we'll do everything to get you home once you've rested."

A thought flashed through Lainy's brain.

"NO!" she said much too quickly, She apologized, "What I mean is, couldn't I stay here? In this... O.Z.?"

"It's a possibility," Lavender said while motioning someone from the open door, "In the mean time, you are weary. This is Astrid, she will show you to a guest room and help you get cleaned up. We shall speak on this matter more in the morning."

Lainy curstied just as clumcily as before, "Thank you."

The queen nodded and the young slipper took that as her queue to follow Astrid.

—

Lainy's room ended up being on the third floor. If her feet were protesting before they were now in a full out riot. Astrid noticed her limping.

"I'll start a bath," she said and disappeared into the adjoining room, "You wait here and I'll find you something to wear and something for your feet."

And she was gone. Lainy kept an eye on the bath, relieved at the sight of indoor plumbing, until Astrid returned with towels, a night dress, and some bandages. The maid instructed the girl to bathe and dress while she went downstairs to get her some food. The bath was warm and had a calming scent to it. She sat in the water soaking away her aches long after Astrid had returned with a plate of fruit for her. When she finally emerged from the tub Astrid saw to her feet and told her how to call if anything was needed, for that there was a rope next to the bed.

"Like Cinderella's wicked step-sisters," she mused to herself after Astrid had left for the evening. She sighed, "What am I going to do? Am I really going to stay here?"

Those were the kinds of thoughts she fell asleep to.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was plesant enough. Lainy slept in longer than she would have were she back on the farm, even if it was only an hour more. She wasn't awake long before she heard a tentative knock at the door and knew it was Astrid. The young maid handed the Slipper a clean dress and some light shoes.

"Her Highness requests your presence in the sunroom for breakfast, Miss." Astrid's voice was just unsure of itself as her knock.

The dress was simple. Cream colored and slipped over the head to be tied at the front making Lainy ready in about five minutes. Aatrid led her to the sunroom to meet with the queen. It wasn't much different than the throne room, Lainy noted when they arrived. It reminded her of a green house with a slanted ceiling that curved into the wall so one couldn't really tell where one ended and one began. Lavender and Ahamo sat at a four chaired round table laden with sweet breakfast fruit and drink.

"The Slipper Elaina Greene, Highness," Astrid announced having led Lainy to the table.

"Thank you, Astrid," Lavender said, dismissing the maid, "Elaina, please, sit and eat."

"Lainy, please, Your Majesty," She replied sitting in the seat offered to her .

Breakfast was slow for Lainy, there was much to discuss.

"Well, Lainy," Lavender began, "You do not wish to return to the Other Side and would like to stay here, is that correct?" Lainy nodded, spooning fruit on her plate. She didn't know what to expect of this Queen of The O.Z.. "Would you mind telling me why you do not want to return home?"

The Slipper swallowed the bite she'd taken, "It's not much of a home to go back to. An alcoholic father, a mother who's hardly ever home. Here I think I can have the fresh start I could never have back in Kansas."

The queen only thought about it for a moment, " Then you shall stay in The O.Z.."

Lainy smiled as she set down her cup, "Really?" she squealed, "I'd hug you but I don't think that'd be apporpriate."

"Not entirely. Now, we can have an escort take you to Central City and find a place to get you sett-"

"I'm sorry, City?"

"Yes, Central City. It's the capital of The O.Z.. Is something wrong? You've paled."

"I'm not really a city person. I get all claustrophobic and paranoid. I can only stand a few hours in a city before I go all schizoid."

"Well, that certainly is a dilemma. Central City is the best place to send a Slipper."

"May-maybe... I can stay here." Lainy's voice cracked at the end of her question, "here in Finaqua, that is. I mean, I'm already here, it's familiar to a point, with the space and the out doors. If it's not too much. I mean I don't want to impose."

"You wouldn't impose at all. It's a splendid idea, Lainy. You'd have to work of course. What type of skills do you have."

"Aside from horse work and cooking, I'm pretty much useless."

"The kitchen is always full I'm afraid. Our cook is very selective on who she works with. Tell me about the 'horse work'."

"Not much to tell. Been riding since I was four. Had my own ponies and horses until I was about seventeen. Started training the horses I had at fourteen and when I had to give up my animals I started training other horses and their riders. From seventeen till now I've broken horses, one was thought unbreakable, trained riders as young as six and taught older riders how to better communicate with their horses, even taught a few of them some more complicated equestrian maneuvers."

Ahamo was the one to speak first, "Bertrand has been having issues with that new stallion."

The queen's eyes lit up, "Yes, and the mare for DG as well," she turned to Lainy, "our horse master has been trying to break the pair for months now, he's all but given up. Perhaps you can break them."

"I might be able to." The girl was grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll tell you what-"

Lainy didn't get to hear what. A girl with dark brown hair and a furious expression came bursting into the room.

"Mother!" She exclaimed, "Dame Sark will not stop with the waltz no matter how many times I tell her I cannot dance."

"Sweetheart. Perhaps Ambrose can hel-"

"All he does is laugh at me, Mom."

"I do not laugh," a man's voice said loudly from behind Lainy causing her to visibly jump, "I was merely chuckling at your inherent lack of rhythm."

Everyone noticed Lainy jump.

"Lainy, please excuse my daughter," Lavender sighed, "This is DG."

The girl with the dark hair looked at her with wondering blue eyes and said a simple 'hi', forgetting all about her dancing woes.

"This is Dame Sark."

The woman standing behind Lainy nodded, her bound grey hair bouncing on her head, her scowl couldn't be bothered to be replaced with a more genteel expression.

"And this is my Advisor, Ambrose."

The one who had scared her bowed slightly, "I apologize for frightening you." He spoke deliberately but his eyes held a hint of mischief.

Lainy nodded. Aside from the guards who brought her here, Astrid, Ahamo, and the queen herself she hadn't met anyone else in The O.Z. and didn't truly know how to react. She couldn't seem to find her voice.

The queen looked to her daughter, "DG, you will listen to Dame Sark and quit running to me every time something displeases you.

The princess huffed and nearly stomped her feet out of the room with her teacher on her heels.

"Ambrose, please sit." Lavender looked to the Slipper as the advisor sat next to Ahamo, who had stayed quiet during the whole fiasco, "Lainy, as I was saying. If you can get the pair broken in a reasonable time you can stay here as a secondary trainer. Sort of an Assistant Horse Master. Bertrand has trouble keeping up with his work as he gets older. You could do him some good."

She turned to her attention to Ambrose, who was in such a deep conversation with her husband neither of them noticed the queen's glare was fixed upon them.

"Ahem."

At Lavender's annoyed call of their attention they both took a sheepish side-long glance at their queen. They both stumbled an apology and Lainy ended up laughing for the first time since she was pulled into The O.Z..

"You have a wonderful laugh," Ahamo noted of the slipper, "Hopefully we'll hear more of it around the palace as time goes by."

No one noticed the mischief in the advisor's eyes turn to curiosity.

"I was going to say, before I was ignored," Lavender looked pointedly at the two men sitting at the table, "Ambrose, this is the Slipper Elaina Greene. She's going to stay here, in Finaqua, on a trial basis to aide Bertrand in the stables."

"He needs it that's for sure," Ambrose commented, "Pleasure, Elaina."

"Likewise, and it's just Lainy."

"Well, Lainy, it will be nice to have someone new in the palace."

One of the guards walked in just then and whispered in the queen's ear, a queen who immediately looked more annoyed than she had a few moments ago.

"Well," she breathed when he walked away, "it seems Lady Corrine has arrived a week early, as usual. Lainy if you'll excuse me, queenly duties call."

Lavender stood, then men standing with her. Lainy stood as well. She had no idea if it was required of her or not but she didn't want to be rude.

"Will you need me, Highness?" Ambrose asked.

"No, I don't think so, but you," she said pointing at her husband, "Are definitely coming with me."

"Yes, my lady," Ahamo said entering a sweeping bow to offer Lavender his arm.

The couple walked away with Lavender talking in his ear sharply.

An awkward silence settled in between Ambrose and Lainy.

"Sooo..." she rocked from the balls of her feet to her heels, "What is 'Lady Corrine' early for?"

Ambrose looked at the girl, "DG's birthday is next week, her first since being back in The O.Z. and the queen insisted on a ball."

"DG left the O.Z.?"

He smirked, "Of course, you don't know. Shall we walk?"

He offered Lainy an arm, that she politely took with a blush, and they made to walk the gardens. Ambrose told her of the latest chapter in The O.Z.'s history books. The witches escape into Azkadellia. DG's flight to the Other Side and her return. All the way up to the witches defeat. The witches terror over the O.Z. made Lainy shiver.

"And all this was less than a year ago?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, but thanks to the Old Resistance everything is being put back the way they were all those years ago."

"Well, that's good."

Silence took over once again, but this time is wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Now, they just walked, arm in arm, through the gardens, content in their own thoughts. Neither noticed the dark haired princess eyeing them from the ballroom.

Lunch time came to The O.Z. and although Lainy had been in her room, just lounging around with a few books from the library, for hours she found herself famished. Astrid came into her room with the same tentative knock as before.

"I'm here to escort you to lunch, Miss. Lainy," She said opening the door.

"You know, Astrid, you don't have to be so proper with me," the Slipper explained, "I'm just plain old Lainy."

Astrid smiled as she led the way down the stairs and to the same sunroom breakfast was held in. Now that she wasn't so nervous, Lainy took in the jungle of plants that crowded the room. Some sat on the floor in pots and others dangled from the ceiling. Most of the plants Lainy couldn't identify if her life depended on it, other she thought she recognized but wasn't entirely sure. Lainy sat in an one of the extra chairs between DG and a composed older woman with stark white hair and across from Ahamo and another girl she hadn't been introduced to. Lavender was clearly the head of this round table.

"Lainy," the queen said softly, "Allow me to introduce Lady Corrine and across from you is my eldest, Azkadellia."

The girl smiled at them both, "Nice to meet you."

Sandwiches and tea were brought from the kitchen as well as the same find of fruit served at breakfast. Conversation was had by all. Most of it was Lady Corinne asking about the ball for DG or just being nosy. DG eventually leaned into Lainy's ear.

"I'm going to take you to see the stables later, after we eat." She mock whispered, "Just to see the horses and meet Bertrand."

"Yes, Lainy," the queen spoke, "I'd like you to begin work with the stallion and the mare tomorrow morning, if possible."

"I could begin after lunch if you'd like," she said in response.

"Wonderful. I'll send word ahead to Bertrand." Lavender waved a guard over and whispered her instructions in his ear.

"You can't be riding in that dress," Corrine interjected, "it's not proper, not with out a side-saddle."

"I've ridden in dresses before, Lady," the Slipper said, rounding on the palace's early guest, "and without a side-saddle, proper or not. In fact, I've never ridden side-saddle. You forget I came from the Other Side only yesterday and the Other Side has different views on what is proper for a woman. Besides, I will not be riding them today. And when I do I will be wearing a nice pair of pants. Thank you for your concern, Lady, but it is unneeded."

DG and Ahamo both quickly covered their mouths for fear of laughing out loud. Corrine, feeling throughly offended, scoffed and scurried from the room.

"I've never seen that woman look so flustered," the queen's husband breathed between bouts of laughter.

Even the queen and the quiet Azkadellia had a smile tugging at the corners of their lips.

"Maybe I should have you attend etiquette courses with DG," Lavender remarked, seemingly composed, "otherwise, I may have a string of nobles cursing your name."

"I apologize, Majesty," she not only sounded sheepish, she looked it.

"Now I think would be a good time to make our way to the stables," DG announced, standing and dragging Lainy with her, "Excuse us."

The Slipper barely got to wave a farewell before the younger princess had her running through the palace corridors and out a back door. Only then did DG let out the laugh she'd been holding in.

"YOU, my friend, are a saint."

Lainy felt giggles coming on as well, "I take it you dislike her."

"That woman is a menace. Shows up insanely early for anything, ridicules anyone, and she's just annoying. Always where she doesn't need to be."

Running out of the palace they had run insight of the stable. Lainy was surprised to see so much of the palace ground dedicated to the stables and surrounding buildings and the further they got up the path the grander Lainy saw it to be.

"There are a couple of fenced pastures in the back," DG explained, "Large arena over there and a small training ring next to it. The smaller building over there are the rooms for stable hands and some of the mounted soldiers. You'll get moved over there to a room tomorrow more than likely."

Lainy looked at the largest building in front of them, "how many stalls does this have?"

"Twenty-ish? Not sure, you would have to ask Bertrand," DG waved to a small boy around twelve. "Teddy! Where's the big boss?"

The boy shrugged, "in his office maybe?"

DG thanked him and pulled Lainy to a stairway off the main barn. 'Bertrand Harris, Royal Horse Master' the plaque on the door read. They could hear yelling from the open window.

"GO FIND HER YOU USELESS RAT!"

Another young boy tumbled out of the door nearly sending the girls down the way they had come. He made his apologies hopping three steps at a time.

"Wonder what he did," the Slipper mused after the frantic child.

"He let one of the more fiery mares push out of her stall. What do you two fillies want?"

A rotund, greying man stood in the doorway, blocking all view to the room beyond.

"Hello to you too, Bert." DG huffed, turning from the direction the boy went to this beast of a man.

"DG!" the man's demeanor instantly changed, escaped horse forgotten, he looked at Lainy, "this the girl to break the two scoundrels we got?"

His eye turned critical, as though he were sizing her up as a horseman. Lainy straightened her posture, her five foot, four inch height probably didn't add to his conclusion of her.

"Yeah, that's what my mother wants."

"Alright," he gruffed, "down the stairs, follow me."

They walked around the barn and up toward the smaller paddocks. Bertrand questioned Lainy the whole way there. What kind of training she had and her qualifications to train. How she rode and how long she's been a horseman. She answered every single one of his questions and then some.

"Well, here they are," he puffed, "spirited bastards."

They had arrived at a far paddock that opened into a small ring. In the paddock grazed two of the most beautiful horses Lainy had ever seen. One, the stallion, was such a dark brown he was almost black. He had a full mane and tail, like the mare who had a palomino coloring. They grazed slowly already weary to the humans present.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, slowly walking toward the fence.

"They're meant for DG and Advisor Ambrose but unless we can break them they'll just end up going back to the grasslands."

"Has there been any progress.?" the Slipper asked.

"Once and a while someone can get their hands on them but it's a fleeting moment, they spook and we're back to square one."

"Who'd the dominate?"

"Thunder, for sure."

"Thunder?"

"The stallion. The mare's Cloud. They were both found in the middle of a lightning storm and put up for bid in Central City. DG saw them and HAD to have them."

DG grinned, "I like palominos and one came with the other."

"Help me separate them." Lainy said climbing through the bars, into the paddock.

The horses stopped grazing to watch the human coming towards them.

"C'mon," the Slipper yelled throwing open the gate from the paddock to the training ring, "Once I get the stallion through shut this."

"Are you nuts?" DG screamed as her new friend approached the massive horse.

"Just listen to me. I'm kinda a professional."

It took Lainy ten minutes to finally separate the two and get Thunder trotting through the open gate. More than once, they both went through the gate but it was all settled in the end. Thunder paced at the far end of the ring, away from Lainy. She faced the horse and set to work. Holding out her arms she slowly walked towards him. He dodged the other way. It went that way for an hour and a half. Lainy holding out her arms and putting them down, facing him head on and approaching with an angled body. Eventually, Thunder trusted her enough to actually stand still and let her touch him.

"Adda boy." she cooed running a hand down this neck.

Bertrand looked on in shock, "he's never stood that still before."

DG smiled as Lainy began to rub her hands all over the horses body with him only shying once or twice.

"It's all about where you are to him," She explained, "How your energy is. You have to be assertive but you also have to be calm. Horses have a flight or fight instinct. That's how it is. They're prey animals and you have to work with that. Horses are fine the way they are. People are the ones who need training to fit them."

Bertrand was going to ask something but the young boy from his office ran up to the group.

"We found her, sir." he said between breaths. He pointed toward the lake with the halter and lead he had in his hand, "she was grazing by the shallows."

The Horse Master huffed, "Make sure she hasn't eaten anything she shouldn't have."

The boy was about to run off but Lainy stopped him, "Hand me that halter and lead." She said swiftly walking to the fence.

Bertrand nodded an okay to the boy and he handed both over to the girl. Lainy took them and walked over to Thunder cautiously. He eyed the halter with suspicion, he'd seen it before, but didn't move. Lainy touched his neck with her hand, and then with the halter. She did this with his whole body, as slow as she could. By the end of her movements the horse new that the halter wasn't a threat. She moved to his head and allowed him to smell it before sliding the rope over his nose. He pulled his head back and Lainy had to wait a minute before trying again. This time he didn't jerk back so she slowly eased the rest of it over his head, she paused as he tensed before she latched it into place.

"Good boy," she praised running a hand over his cheek.

Thunder stood still unsure of this new thing on his head but after a while he relaxed. The girl he came to trust took the rope she'd slid over her shoulder and let the length of it drop to the floor. The horse backed about a foot. With a reassuring word Lainy took the rope in both hands and brought it to the horses body, the same way she did the halter, and, eventually, clasped it on the tie ring, near where the halter met under Thunder's chin. She stood next to him and slowly walked forward, bringing the rope, and horse, with her.

It was again time for Bertrand to be shocked.

"How did you... we've been trying to get that thing on him since he's been here. He's certainly never led before."

"You just have to go slow. Once he see's it won't hurt him, it's safe to proceed and it won't be an issue anymore. You just have to desensitize a horse to his surroundings."

"Well, you're a bloody natural. And if Her Highness doesn't put you on as assistant Horse Master I'll take you on myself."

Lainy beamed, glad she had a place in The O.Z.

- - :~x~: - -

I don't own Tin Man or anything recognizable.

Everything else belongs to me.

Srsly. It does.

On that note. PUH-LEASE review. It would REALLY mean a LOT to me.

Extra A/N from Ch 1:

Elaina is pronounced like Elaine but with an -uh- at the end.

Kind of a mix between Elaine and Elena.

It started with the Lainy but and needed a substantial name to go off of.

They both are a variant of Helen.. So that works.

And Lavender is just Lavender.

It fits.

Couldn't think of a wicked name to give her.

Her kids name is Azkadellia for crying out loud.

There really isn't one for chapter 2

Except for my apologies with it being so LONG.

[ten pages in my word perfect]

I just didn't know where to end it.

Still not sure of where I did but it's a good a place as any..


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